David Bahn – Reflections

Mark 7:1-2

Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, ² they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed.

Our church is giving away the pews from the old sanctuary which is now being used for adult Bible classes and other larger group meetings. As the conversation about that idea unfolded I realized that I thought that our members should have the right of first refusal regarding these pews. Simply to give them to anyone (a church or staff member or anyone else) without first offering them to the members of our church didn’t seem right to me. So the announcement will go out soon of their availability. If no one speaks up, then we will give them to a church that needs them.

It seemed wise to me that we not ignore those who had bought and paid for those pews before we gave them all away, but I’m not certain that I made the right call in this instance. I’m pretty certain I didn’t ask the right question. The kingdom may be better served by having them in the homes of our members or in a church that has need for more seating. But that wasn’t the question I asked.

What of these Pharisees and scribes who come to Jesus and notice and fret about some of his disciples who eat with undefiled hands? Their concerns seem properly religious. But in fact they were distracted from the truer issue of the Kingdom of God. Their focus wasn’t whether or not God’s kingdom was being established by Jesus and his disciples. It may well be that the disciples would have served the kingdom better by washing (literally “baptizing”) their hands. At least they could have asked that question. Sadly, however, these watchers saw only the outward appearance, and even more sadly that’s all they thought mattered.

God looks at the heart and too often we concern ourselves with outward obedience. We do things properly, but too often fail to assess our own motives. If God’s kingdom is most important of all (cf. Matthew 6:10, 33!), then our first question in regard to any issue – at our church or in our personal lives ought to be, “Does this serve the cause of the Kingdom of God?” Jesus taught us to pray for God’s kingdom to come, and promised that as we seek his kingdom first everything else will be taken care of. God’s kingdom (reign) is of first importance and that reign is in our hearts. Whether or not our hearts are under the reign of Christ is most important of all.

Mark 7:1-13

Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, ² they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. ³ (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, ⁴ and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.) ⁵ And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders,but eat with defiled hands?” ⁶ And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,

⁸ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

⁹ And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition! ¹⁰ For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ ¹¹ But you say, ‘If a man tells his father or his mother, “Whatever you would have gained from me is Corban”’ (that is, given to God)— ¹² then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother,¹³ thus making void the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And many such things you do.”